Floor tiles have traditionally been used for many different purposes, including both aesthetic and utilitarian purposes. For example, floor tiles of a particular color may be used to accentuate an object displayed on top of the tiles. Alternatively, floor tiles may be used to simply protect the surface beneath the tiles from various forms of damage. Floor tiles typically comprise individual panels that are placed on the ground either permanently or temporarily depending on the application. A permanent application may involve adhering the tiles to the floor in some way, whereas a temporary application would simply involve setting the tiles on the floor. Floor tiles are often horizontally interconnected to one another to cover large floor areas such as a garage, an office, or a show floor.
Various interconnection systems have been utilized to connect floor tiles horizontally with one another to maintain structural integrity and provide a desirable, unified appearance. In addition, floor tiles can be manufactured in almost any shape, color, or pattern. Some floor tiles contain holes such that fluid and small debris is able to flow through the floor tiles and onto a surface below. Tiles can also be equipped with special surface patterns or structures to provide various superficial or useful characteristics. For example, a diamond steel pattern may be used to provide increased surface traction on the tiles and to provide a desirable aesthetic appearance.
One method of making plastic floor tiles utilizes an injection molding process. Injection molding involves injecting heated liquid plastic into a mold. The mold is shaped to provide an enclosed space to form the desired shaped floor tile. Next, the liquid plastic is allowed to cool thereby solidifying into the desired floor tile. Unfortunately, various problems often arise during the injection molding process that affect the final appearance of the floor tile. One prominent problem is that when the liquid plastic cools it often forms sink marks on the top surface of the floor tile. The sink marks generally coincide with the support systems located on the bottom side of the floor tile. Sink marks are caused by extra material in certain areas inside of the mold that requires additional cooling time. For example, if the bottom side of the tile contains numerous support structures, there will often be coinciding sink marks visible on the top surface of the final floor tile. The sink marks unfortunately detract from the appearance of the top surface of the floor tile. In addition, the sink marks impair the ability of the plastic floor tiles to mimic the appearance of other materials, such as metal or concrete. Throughout the life of the floor tiles, the sink marks often collect dirt and debris because they are recessed relative to the remainder of the top surface of the floor tile.
In view of the foregoing, there is a need to provide a floor tile support system that prevents sink marks from forming on the top surface of a floor tile after an injection molding process while maintaining the necessary structural integrity.